Quest of Light: The Epic
by Ryu Gaia
Summary: A man wakes up in the world of Weyard and is taken in by the adepts of the Lemurian Ship 'Lighthouse.' As Weyard hurtles towards its inevitable end, the group quickly becomes caught up in a battle for the fate of all time and space. Set right after GS2.
1. Chapter 1: By Fate or By Fortune?

**Author's Note:** I'll be brief here, there's just one thing to say. Leon is Piers/Picard; I just never liked the Americanized name (seriously, Piers?) so I substituted my own. That said--

**QUEST OF LIGHT**

_The Epic_

By Ryu Gaia

**Chapter One: By Fate or by Fortune?**

Ryu Gaia stood up and surveyed his surroundings, carefully observing each detail, then storing it to whatever part of his brain could determine what tactical advantage he could extract from it. After all, waking up somewhere with just the clothes on your back and the sword at your side, with no memory of how you arrived at that destination, is sufficient reason for concern.

He was standing on what seemed to be a promontory of stone, jutting out over a precipitous drop towards the ocean below. The dark waters foamed against the rocky shore far beneath him. _It's a good thing I don't roll over in my sleep._ The sky above was bright and blue, laced with slivers of silvery clouds.

He turned to face the structure behind him. An enormous lighthouse rose from the ground to the heavens above. The walls appeared to have been painstakingly constructed, a series of smooth, interconnected bricks; patterns of shades of colors were discernable on them, forming images of men reaching high above.

He checked himself for any indications that when last he was awake, he had been fighting. His black, button-down shirt was free from telltale tears in the fabric, and his blue jeans were equally unperturbed. No bloodstains graced him, and there was no dirt on him save what came off the ground when he stood up.

_Where am I? And how did I get here?_ _Where did I come from? _Queries for missing data flooded his mind. No answers could occur to him. _Why would I need to check myself for injuries? _He couldn't remember the last place he had been, nor could he remember where he came from all to begin with. As the questions mounted, it occurred to him that he had no idea, in fact, of anything – save for his name.

He put the questions in the back of his mind; they would wait until he could answer them. For now he just had to learn what his surroundings were, get a feel for it, and hope that his memory would come back sooner or later.

He walked along the wall of the lighthouse beside him, absentmindedly running one hand along it. It was smooth, polished. Eventually, from following the perimeter of the structure, he found its front side. A high stone gate formed its entrance. There were no guards, nor anyone for that matter.

Then suddenly from some ledge just outside his view of sight, a three-headed beast leapt at him with a furious roar. Ryu reached for his sword and drew it swiftly, prepared to dispatch of the creature. He wasn't sure exactly how he was prepared, but he was – and he would disembowel it with almost military precision, if he had to. It was some finer instinct built into him.

The thing surprised him by shutting all of its six eyes simultaneously, and then it stood perfectly still. Ryu wondered for a moment what that meant until the ground beneath him turned into seething agony. The air shimmered and distorted, bursting into flames directly at him. This triggered another one of his instincts: all the potential energy in the space around him immediately became _kinetic_, forcing the fire and heat away from him.

As the creature attempted to understand exactly how Ryu did not boil away into oblivion, its thought processes were interrupted – Ryu dashed forward and embedded his sword into its skull.

Ryu pulled back his sword and gave it a hard flick. The strange purplish blood and gray matter ran right off it. Still gripping it – there could be others of whatever that was nearby – he looked around cautiously.

He didn't see another one of _those._ No, it had to be _something else._

In abject confusion, he watched as something that looked like a woman approached him. He used the word in the broadest sense possible, because although it certainly had a woman's shape – flaunted in a slinky purple number, no less – it gave off the most atrocious aura of wretchedness. Beautiful, yes, but at the same time as the proportions were perfect, it felt like all the parallel lines intersected, and somehow the whole geometry of her body was chaotic and _wrong._

"What the hell _are_ you?" Ryu asked in its direction.

He didn't expect an answer, and he didn't get one. Instead, it raised its terrible arms and waved them about in a strange manner, while giving him a smile that made his skin crawl.

He held out his hand and prepared to burst-fire pure energy at the nightmare, only to discover that the portion of his mind that enabled him to manipulate energy at all was suddenly blocked off. He spent a half-second longer realizing this than he would have preferred to. That was all the time it took for the thing to appear in front of him, reaching forward, twirling a lock of his purple hair, while a gentle yet somehow razor-sharp hand ran the length of his cheek. And then there were her eyes—

He tore himself away from its gaze, and started running. He didn't know where his feet were taking him exactly – back the way he came, it would seem – but it was apparent that his only guaranteed defensive mechanism had suddenly become completely ineffective, and all the doors he could open were closed. He wasn't scared, there wasn't time for that. Rather, he knew that if he stayed, unaided, he would be killed. That was definitively_ not_ a desirable outcome.

The precipice came into full view soon. Was that horrible mockery of a woman's shape still behind him? It was, he discovered. Rationalizing to himself that this might very well be his last moment, he resolved that whoever he was, he was damned if he wasn't going to give himself the most epic ending possible. He whipped his sword around in a full arc, cleaving through the succubus. He wasn't sure how it was still standing after that, but had expected it anyhow – and just as it reached its cold, lifeless hands towards him again, he hurled himself over the edge of the drop.

Turned over in mid-air, he felt the wind roar past his face—

It was fantastic, and he loved every second of this—

A large wood grain blur appeared in front of him, running at him—no, wait, he was falling at it—and then the barriers on his mind came undone and with just a split second to bear he grabbed at the energy around him and threw up the first defenses around his body that he could think of, just to dull the impact, as he smashed into the deck of what he would later come to learn was a flying ship with actual wings.

In the meanwhile, he was quite clueless as to what had actually just transpired, and was only barely conscious enough to watch a golden-haired youth rush to his side.

With blood streaming down his temples and pain screaming from every nerve in his body, Ryu managed to utter something before passing out:

"Myyrh, please, and make it damn cold."

***

"There was just this… I don't even know how to describe it. Just as he was about to hit us, there was suddenly this flash, and he was surrounded by light. He hit the deck – wood went flying everywhere. I don't have any idea how he survived that. It shouldn't be possible. Then he looked up at me. He was broken and bleeding but he was still almost perfectly lucid before the blood loss got to him. He looked up at me and said, 'Myyrh, please, and make it damn cold.' I kid you not," Isaac said.

"What exactly is a myyrh?" Ivan asked.

Isaac and Ivan stood, with several others of their crew, clustered alongside the bed where the stranger onboard their ship had been placed to rest. Mia had healed the damage the stranger had sustained when he impacted the ship. The damage to the ship would be a lot harder to repair, but they could worry about that later.

The stranger, for his part, would have gladly told them that a myyrh was a sort of carbonated drink, sweet as early-morning dew drops, but with a forceful taste that could only be described as mountainous. The stranger could not do that at the moment, however; instead, he was quite contentedly unconscious and perhaps the better for it.

"You're the one who can read minds, aren't you?" Garet said, giving Ivan a look. "Why don't you find out?"

Ivan nodded as he reached into the mind of the stranger.

_Faces in rapid succession, none lasting too long, all of them unfamiliar. None of them from this place. Another world, another continent, another quest; everything feels so far away. Reality slips away as the corridors of the mind echo with the footsteps of an intruder. _

_The mind is well organized and clear but suddenly there are boundaries. There are walls around all the memories; there are walls around walls around everything but the soul and the identity. "Who are you? What is your name? Where do you come from? What is your __**reason**__?"_

_"Ryu Gaia. I don't know where. I can't explain." _

_The boundaries blur between the two connecting presences. The souls dance around each other in a strange way. "You can't be what you are, but it can't be any other way either. Your soul is the exact color of clarity. Your resolve is indestructible. Your heart is free and happy."_

_"I couldn't tell you why. It's just something that is. It's a constant. It's a given, the same way as the sun is in the sky and the world is beneath our feet." _

_"Where do you come from? Why are you so sealed? Walking the paths to find the root of the walls, it becomes impossible. There is a place where the laws that govern the entire real mind break down, and it isn't your doing. It makes the walls indestructible, insurmountable. But you did not do this to yourself."_

_"Why are you in here? How did you get in here? This is a sanctuary."_

_"I came to ask you a question."_

_"Shoot."_

_"What's a myyrh?"_

_"Merely a fragment of a memory of a dream, I think. I can't remember anymore."_

_"…was that first thing a pun?"_

_"It might have been."_

_"When you wake up, I'm going to give you a high five. Seriously."_

***

Fading into consciousness was painful. His body had been healed, but everything still ached, and all of his muscles were sore.

He opened his eyes. The room around him was dark, except for some dim glow that seemed to come out of the very walls themselves. He tried to get a grasp on where he was and how he got there. He had only the dimmest of memories of falling from some high place. Gradually, though, it started to come back to him. _Oh, right. I remember now that I couldn't remember anything at all. That's helpful._

From the way the ground beneath him seemed to subtly move, it occurred to him that he wasn't _on_ the ground, per se. Just on something that functioned as one. _Am I on a boat or something? _

He stirred in bed, and sat up. He flexed his back, arms. They made popping noises, protesting the motion. He soundly ignored their protests and moved around anyway. As he stood up, it occurred to him that he wasn't wearing much more than his undergarments. _I'm getting tired of not having any idea what's going on…_

Walking to a window on the far wall and looking out, he was able to ascertain two things. One: it was night outside. Two: he was onboard something that was flying. _I'll attempt to figure _that_ out later. I've got other things to worry about for now._

The door to his room opened, and a blue-haired woman walked in carrying a bundle of sorts. She was dressed in faded robes, and although there was something incredibly gentle about her face, it still held in it the look of determination that comes with hardship.

"Are you all right?" she asked him. Her voice was mellifluous, and Ryu nearly doubted her existence for a moment because she seemed entirely too perfect.

"Yeah," Ryu said. _Where am I? What am I doing here? How did I get here? Where can I find some clothes? Is there anything to eat?_ "So, um…"

"May I call you Ryu?"

"That's my name. How'd you know?"

"Ivan found out earlier. He was the one who spoke to you through your mind," she said. "Most people shy away from him when he does that – I'm sorry if he startled you."

She gave him a warm smile, and then handed him the bundle. Ryu looked inside to find that it contained his clothes, in a condition distinctly unlike his last memories of them. From hitting the deck, they might have been little more than blood-soaked rags. Now they seemed pristine, _new_.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're quite welcome. I just thought that all things considered, it would be nice if I could fix these for you. So, here they are," she said.

"So, what's your name?" Ryu asked.

"I am Mia," she said. "Are you hungry, by the way?"

Ryu nodded.

"Then put on those clothes. When you're done, I'll take you up to the mess hall and introduce you to everyone."

She closed the door behind her. Ryu quickly dressed himself and walked out of the room to follow her. She led him up down a hallway and up a set of stairs, into a long room with a large table standing in its middle. Four people sat around the table, helping themselves to portions from the meal spread out before them. Ryu recognized one of them – the same golden-haired fellow he saw just after he hit the deck.

Mia motioned to him first. "That's Isaac," she said.

"Hey!" Isaac said, as he noticed that Ryu and Mia had entered the room. He stood up to greet them. "You're awake! How are ya'?"

"I'm all right," Ryu said. He gave a somewhat bashful smile. "I'm sorry about whatever damage I did to your ship – I tried to slow myself down, but I didn't have much time or much luck."

"Don't worry about it," Isaac said. "Welcome to the _Lighthouse,_ by the way. Please! Sit, eat. Leon made this stuff, and he's a good cook. He's in the back right now, but he'll be out soon."

"Thank you," Ryu said, as he and Mia took seats at the table.

"So, where are you from?" asked a red-haired girl sitting beside him.

"I don't know," Ryu said. "I'm hoping that'll come to me sooner or later."

"I'm Jenna by the way," she said. "And if you do anything to hurt or betray anyone on this ship, I'll set you on fire." She grinned at him.

"Jenna, that's not polite. We don't want to frighten him," said a man seated at the head of the table. He wore his long brown hair in a ponytail, although much of it still hung over his face. His intensity set a stark contrast to the Isaac's easygoing nature. He turned to address Ryu. "I am Felix."

"He's my older brother, can you tell?" Jenna said. "Family resemblance, right?"

Ryu nodded thoughtfully as he put food the plate Isaac just handed him.

"Let the poor guy eat, Jenna! Don't bug him so much. He's probably hungry. Been sleeping like a log for hours, straight through breakfast and lunch," said a flame-haired man sitting next to Isaac. His hair had a funny way of apparently defying gravity, standing nearly straight-up, so that it really _did_ resemble a flame. "Garet," he added, looking at Ryu. "I'm Garet."

A figure appeared in the doorway. He had short blondish hair, velvet eyes, and seemed slightly younger than everyone else. He had two conflicting airs about him – on one hand, he seemed somewhat distant and removed, but totally tranquil at the same time. As soon as he noticed Ryu, his eyes lit up, and he ran forward towards him. Ryu held an outstretched hand towards him for the boy to high five; he did.

"So you're the one who could read my mind?" Ryu said.

The boy nodded. "I am Ivan."

"Fascinating," Ryu said. "Your abilities are fascinating. I plan on asking you how you did that after I finish eating."

Another man with long blue hair entered the room from a door on the far wall that Ryu hadn't noticed, carrying a pot that had steam rising from it. "Could someone get the bowls?" he asked. "Can't carry everything at once, you know. They're on the counter."

"Sure thing," Jenna said, getting up.

The blue-haired man set the pot down on a clear spot on the table, then looked to Ryu. "Ah, so you're up? Welcome aboard. Have some of the stew!"

Ryu swallowed, gave a quick hello, and returned to the food. He was only just beginning to realize quite how hungry he had been, and was eagerly digging into what he had on his plate.

As the group ate, they chatted idly with one another, save for Ryu, who remained silent. He listened to them, though, and admired their ease with one another. He saw the bonds between them – through the way they looked at one another, the way they reacted to one another; he could see clearly that they had been comrades in a terrible struggle. A few times, a line would be thrown in his direction, an invitation to join the conversation; Ryu subtly declined, content with watching rather than participating.

Gradually, as the minutes crept by, one after another of the group left, going off to sleep, or to perform some duty required of them in maintaining the ship. Eventually just Isaac and Ryu remained.

"Any idea where you were headed?" Isaac asked him at some point.

"None at all," Ryu said, shaking his head. "I really can't remember _anything._ I don't know where I come from, I don't know where I was going – hell, I don't even know what _world_ I'm on."

"Weyard," Isaac informed him. "This is the world of Weyard. Right now we're due east of the continent Gondowan, sailing above the Great Eastern Sea. We were just at Lalivero, and now we're on course for the end of the world, on a mission from King Hydros."

"The end of the world?" Ryu asked.

"Gaia Falls, where the oceans tumble out into what looks like an infinite abyss. We don't know what's out there, but with this ship of ours, we have a unique opportunity to find out."

"This is a flying ship," Ryu said. It wasn't a question, just a declaration of observation.

"It even has wings."

"That's quite something."

Isaac smiled. "Yeah. It is. So, you've got a choice to make. If you'd like to go ashore and see if you can find your memories there, by all means – say the word and we can drop you off anywhere you like. But! Since our resident mind-reader seems to think you're a pretty all-right guy, that's good enough for me to trust you. If you want to come with us, you can. We could use an extra hand around here, since we just dropped off one of the crew back in Lalivero."

Ryu thought about it for a moment. "I'll go with you, because I have nowhere else to go. And this whole notion of 'the end of the world' seems kind of intriguing, to be honest with you."

"That's as good a reason as any."

***

Ryu lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind raced as he struggled to recall details. Scraps of memories, anything that he could hold on to, and extrapolate anything from. Nothing came to him.

A knock on his door roused him from his thoughts. He got up and opened it, to find Ivan standing there.

"So, you never did tell me what a myyrh was," Ivan said.

"I can't entirely remember. Something about maintains and dewdrops. I think it's a drink," Ryu said. "Oh! I entirely forgot to ask you – how do you do that?"

"Mind reading?"

Ryu nodded. "Yeah, that."

"It's a power called psynergy. It enables us to direct and interpret the world around us by using the power of our minds."

"Us? So – the other people on this ship can use that power as well?"

"Not the same powers, no. There are four different types of psynergy. Venus is the psynergy that can evoke the very earth itself, as well as some of the fundamental forces that act on the world, like gravity. Mars controls fire, and also a broad category of things that deal with heat energy. Jupiter adepts–"

"Adepts?"

"That's what people who can use psynergy are called. Adepts," Ivan said. Jupiter adepts can manipulate the wind and electricity as a whole, but we can also do stranger things, like mind reading. Mercury adepts can control water, and can direct heat away from things – sort of the direct opposite of Mars psynergy."

"Fascinating… So, are you reading my mind right now? Is that just an ability that's always active?"

"No, not at all. But I can look into your mind pretty much at a whim. And that's actually kind of related to what I came here to ask you about – if you'd like, I can help you try to remember. I've been thinking about how to break down the walls in your mind. I meditated for a while, and it just sort of came to me. So… if you want to try," Ivan said.

"I'd really appreciate that, actually…"

Ivan walked past him, into the room, and sat down on the floor in a meditative stance. "Sit," he said. "And clear your mind."

Ryu sat, and closed his eyes. He tried not to think. Then moments later, he felt a presence inside of his mind…

_Suddenly chaos, as a thousand explosions of light and sound erupt out of nothingness, blazing through all boundaries but not harming the soul or identity, razing the walls to the ground. The mind becomes open and the soul is free to search the memories, but what memories are there? Nothing… nothing… nothing…_

_But then looming on the horizon is a solitary point, a point with no edges and no dimensions. It rises, with force and speed. It grows in shape, from a point to a line, from a line to a plane, from a plane to a lattice. It is an Idea, taking whole shape. No, not an Idea – a Memory. It was not behind those torn-down walls. It was not even inside the mind. Yet it has come into existence, and it collides into a soul that has crystal clarity. _

_For the intruder to the clear one's mind, a whole world becomes visible; beyond raging waters that fall from the sky into the oceans, are strange places with strange towers. And from that world he can see a realm suspended in the air, floating above all beneath it, and that realm is—is—WEYARD._


	2. Chapter 2: At the End of the World

**Chapter Two: At the End of the World**

Standing at the railing of the ship's deck, Felix stared out at the stars. Leon stood at his side, looking at the swiftly-moving waters far below. The air was cold at that altitude, and the bitter wind blew through them.

"What if there isn't anything out there?" Felix asked. He turned to face Leon. "What if there's really nothing afterwards? Where do we go?"

Leon shrugged. "I've lived for longer than I can tell you. The years just sort of blur together. When there isn't anything to fight, the world goes on. Empires rise and fall. People eventually get to fighting each other, probably out of boredom with how quiet the whole universe is."

A moment passed in silence.

"I never knew just what I wanted to do with my life. I figured I'd grow up and do something, whatever was needed in Vale. But now that I've seen so much – I can't. I can't go back to that. It would drive me insane."

Leon smiled. "I think that's the way most of us adepts feel. What's next? No one can say for sure. Maybe we'll find another battle to fight. Maybe we won't, and we'll all have to live out simpler lives."

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You're probably just as restless as I am," Felix said. "Me – I'll die in forty, fifty years. You'll have to stick it out in the long run. Centuries."

Leon didn't respond, but the smiled melted from his face.

"But, ah well. At least, for one shining moment, we all did something amazing," Felix said.

A few moments passed, until, almost inaudibly, Leon said something. "That shining moment isn't over."

"What do you mean, it's not over? Leon…"

"I'll tell you when we get to the end of the world."

***

Ivan stared wide-eyed at Ryu, completely stunned.

"Where did that memory come from, Ryu?" Ivan asked.

"I have no idea. But… I have it now. I can see it – all of it. Ivan, this is _incredible_. There's a whole world just beyond Gaia Falls. I- I know what Gaia Falls _is_ now! I know what Weyard is! I remember!" Ryu laughed joyfully, but a few moments later, as something dawned on him, his laughter died away. "Except… I only have memories of places. None of where I come from. None of my life. Just of Weyard, and that brief, fleeting view of the sprawling world beyond it."

"This is very strange…" Ivan murmured. "There was nothing behind the walls of your mind, Ryu. I know that there _had_ been, though. The first time I looked into your mind, I saw a glimpse of your history. People and places that meant something to you. But now, they're gone. And then this memory appeared in your mind."

"What do you think it means?"

"I don't know, I've never encountered anything like this before," Ivan said, standing up. "I think we should talk to Isaac about this."

Ryu nodded, standing up as well. They walked out of the room, and down one of the narrow corridors of the ship's interior.

Ryu absentmindedly glanced out through the windows lining the wall as they walked. It was dark out, save for the dim glow of the moon and stars.

They reached the door to Isaac's cabin shortly, and Ivan knocked on it.

Still looking out of the window, Ryu noticed something. A strange light that seemed to be coming into existence, in mid-air, not far from the ship. Just a narrow line of light, almost like a crack on the face of the sky.

The door to Isaac's room opened, and Isaac walked out to meet them. Ryu turned his attention away from the light and back to what he was here for.

"Hello, Ivan. Ryu," Isaac said, acknowledging them. "What's up?"

"Strange things, Isaac," Ivan said. "I was attempting to help Ryu unlock his memories. I succeeded in breaking down the apparent barriers, but there wasn't anything behind them. I don't know how that's possible. But he has no history that he's aware of."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Isaac said, giving Ryu a sympathetic look.

"Wait. That's not what I came to you for," Ivan continued. "While I was exploring his mind, he had a vision."

"I saw—" Ryu started to recount what he had seen, but before he could do so, a blinding flash of light flooded the hallway. As soon as it subsided, he turned towards the window; where there had been a line of light, there was now a gaping vortex.

"What in Weyard…?" Isaac muttered, looking out towards it.

"Isaac, where is my sword? I know I had it on me when I fell on to the ship. I mention it now because I've got a terrible feeling about whatever _that_ is," Ryu said quickly, motioning at the hole in reality that had formed just outside the ship.

"Ivan, go tell whoever's on navigational duty to take us clear of that thing. Ryu, come with me anyway," Isaac said. "Because I've got a terrible feeling that you've got the right idea."

Only a short while later, Isaac and Ryu were standing on the deck of the _Lighthouse_, swords drawn and battle-ready, along with Felix and Leon, who had been there beforehand. All of their eyes were focused on the bizarre aberration in space and time that had appeared. Somewhere below deck, Jenna was changing the ship's course, and the swirling vortex was moving away from them at a quickening pace.

The door to the cabin opened as Garet, Ivan, and Mia joined them on the deck.

"What the hell is that?" Garet shouted, as soon as he saw it. Even as it faded into the distance, it was an impressive and terrifying sight.

"Damned if I know," Isaac said. "But I don't want to be around to find out if it's going to do something horrible. And if it is… well, I'll be damned if we're not ready anyway."

Just as suddenly as it appeared, the vortex dissipated, vanishing into the air. There was a tense moment as the adepts waited, watching the point where the vortex had formed—

Then suddenly the ship lurched to a halt, knocking everyone off of their balance. The space directly in front of the ship tore asunder and a bright flash of light washed over the group. They shielded their eyes, but the light was visible even through their eyelids.

"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Isaac called out.

Ryu put down his arm and stared at the new vortex that had formed. He tried as best as he could to understand precisely what it was, and came to only a few conclusions. The laws of reality seemed to break down at its central point, and staring at it long enough would drive him insane. Also, something seemed to be _coming out of it._

***

_Running through an infinite void on a Framework constructed entirely of abstract concepts, light-years breeze past in fractions of fractions of realtime microseconds. This is a place where there are no walls. This is a place where a thousand billion battles are being waged, out of sight of realtime and realspace, for their sake. They don't know. They can't know. _

_I'm readying the {sword} and I go through a dizzying mental checklist of all the pre-engagement requirements to consider, bolstering all the defenses and preparing the code to open an {abstract space}, extension Framework, to allow fighting conditions to exist. The Framework is necessary. The Enemy cannot be fought without a Framework in which to fight it. _

_The {sword} is charging – it takes more time, time it doesn't have, time that doesn't exist. I have to wait. I have to wait as the {abstract space} generates, I have to wait for the {sword}… _

_A short eternity will pass before engagement can begin. But do they have that long before they're {erased}?_

_Still running, on the Framework, to the point parallel to the realspace that has been distorted into a Timeless convergence. _

_{Abstract space} generating…_

***

Blackness. Not pitch-blackness, more like a flickering sort. It was a spherical object of sorts, or at least, that's what it seemed to be – one side was still concealed, beyond the event horizon of the vortex.

Then it turned upwards.

Empty white orbs embedded into the flickering black head gazed out into three-dimensional space, scanning the deck of the ship, before coming to rest on Ryu. Then a shockwave emanated from the vortex, accompanied by an intense burst of distorted sound, collapsing the adepts to the floor of the deck.

The blackness emerged from the vortex wholly, first extending two tendril-like arms outwards, anchoring them into the local space, to pull itself all the way out. It had a humanoid form, but no visible features or distinctive marks on it. It was not black all the way through, but flickering between black and shades of gray. It seemed not to have a fully distinct form, either; its entire surface seemed as though it were simultaneously melting and solid.

It removed its arms from their locked positions and they dropped to its sides as it planted its feet on to the deck.

It walked towards Ryu, who was just beginning to stand up. Seeing it approaching him, Ryu stumbled backwards, swinging his sword forward. The sword, upon striking the vortex creature, disintegrated at the point of contact. The length of the blade dissolved, as thought it had simply been rendered _null._

Ryu held out one of his hands in the direction of the creature and gathered a ball of energy in it. Then he propelled the energy forward, hoping that it would have some effect on the thing. It didn't – the energy dissolved on impact, and the creature took a step forward, unfazed.

"Odyssey," a voice shouted from somewhere else on the deck.

An enormous sword of light suddenly pierced through the creature's midsection, followed by another two. The creature turned its head all the way around to look at whatever had caused this.

Isaac had stood up, and a look of absolute determination was seared on to his face. He gazed into the creature's haunting white orbs, practically daring it to move towards him.

The swords of light exploded inside the creature. It looked down at its midsection, which seemed to have ruptured. It was no longer a single piece – the top and the bottom were separated. This did not seem to effect it in any way, though, and soon, wispy tendrils reached across the space between the two halves of the creature's body, snaking together to form tight connections, gradually returning it to its whole and undamaged state.

The creature extended an arm, which grew in length. It shot towards Isaac, wrapping around his body, constricting Isaac completely; then it lifted Isaac into the air and brought him smashing back down into the deck. The arm retracted, leaving Isaac mangled in a pool of blood.

Mia rushed to Isaac's side, healing him swiftly. The creature ignored this, turning its head back towards Ryu, who had now drawn himself up to full height.

Then wave after wave of attack suddenly impacted the creature. Blasts of liquid heat, plasma, ice, and yet more swords of light simultaneously engulfed it as Garet, Ivan, Leon, and Felix unloaded their available arsenals. When the barrage concluded, nothing of the creature was left standing.

…but not a moment later, a flurry of wispy black tendrils exploded outwards from the point where it had been standing. In an impossibly short length of time, it had reconstructed itself completely.

As the creature turned its gaze back on Ryu, a thought instantiated in the minds of the adepts on-deck.

_I am Timeless. I have one purpose. Do not interfere. _

***

_{Sword} is fully charged. {Abstract space} is generated. All parameters are fulfilled. Initiating implementation and {jump} procedures._

***

With a clenched jaw and grit teeth, Ryu glared at the creature that promised his destruction. He did not fear it. But he refused the notion of his own death. He raised his fists, prepared to take a swing at the thing – it was his last line of defense.

"Go ahead," he spat at it. "Do your worst."

The Timeless reached one hand forward, and—

_::IMPLEMENTING {ABSTRACT SPACE} EXTENSION FRAMEWORK::_

For just a brief moment, a luminescent green wire-frame grid became visibly superimposed on the _Lighthouse_'s ambient space, before melding completely with the meshwork of reality underneath the visible spectrum.

The Timeless took several steps back, and its form morphed to become more solid than liquid. Its hands shimmered and transformed into shining blades. Ryu, processing this, quickly gathered that _something_ was catching the Timeless off-guard.

::_{JUMP} PROCEDURES ENGAGED::_

_::IMPLEMENTING {ASURA} TO {ABSTRACT SPACE}::_

Points of light began running down the length of the deck, gathering in a spot just in front of the Timeless. The light was drawn out of seemingly nothing, but quickly gathered to form a tall column. The Timeless brought one of its sword-arms down at the column in a slashing motion, but its blade was negated, unable to penetrate the light.

::_ACTIVATING {SWORD}::_

A thousand wires of hot blue light came crashing down through the Timeless; each wire blazed a new path into it. When the assault was completed, the Timeless vanished, as well as the vortex through which it came. It had been {erased}.

The column of light then moved to stand before Ryu.

_The {abstract space} I have created cannot be sustained for long. So there are a few things that I need to tell you before I do what I am about to do. I don't have the time to tell you everything – there's never enough realtime for the whole truth._

_So I'll give you this much. The world beyond Gaia Falls is called Eluda. Go there. You will find six towers, they are called Fountains. You know where they are because I showed them to you before. No, I did not delete your memories. I don't know who or what is responsible for that. But I showed you Eluda. _

_The Fountains must be activated at all costs. More depends on this than you could possibly know. _

_Also. You need a proper weapon in the event of another attempt on your life by the Timeless. I can't guarantee that they won't. We're fighting them – believe me, we're fighting them. But we are few and they are many. We might not be able to hold them off forever, so you will need to be able to protect yourself._

_I am going to give you my {sword} and you are going to use it. It'll be a long time before I can use it again, and even then, I've already duplicated the code and deposited one in a lower-energy-state {abstract space}, so don't worry about it._

_I'm about to become corporeal. When I appear on the deck of your ship I will appear to be in a coma, and it will take me a while before I can adjust to actually using a physical body. I've been living in Framework since I was {born}, and that's a space that exists in more dimensions than you're actually capable of being aware of. _

_Oh. Just a few thoughts. My name is {Asura}. Things have a habit of exploding around me. Try not to be one of them._

The column of light dissolved, and Ryu found himself staring into the bright blue eyes of a blond-haired man he had never seen before. The blond-haired man's expression was utterly blank and cold, but his eyes were _alive_. His clothing consisted of a simple brown tunic with the emblem of a golden sun emblazoned upon the chest.

The man promptly toppled over, motionless.

Then something went off inside Ryu's mind, and his head felt as though it were being torn apart violently. The whole world spun and the sky turned a different flavor before everything went black.

***

_Damn it. I need to stop doing that…_ Ryu pulled himself up into a sitting position in the bed he had been moved onto. He grimaced; his head ached tremendously. _What the hell did he do to me?_

"Are you all right?" a soft voice asked.

Ryu glanced to his left to see Isaac and Mia standing by him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ryu said. "Did all of that really just happen?"

Mia nodded. "The column of light…"

"It talked to me," Ryu said. _That doesn't sound strange. No, of course not._ "His name is Asura. Where is he?"

"We've put him in another room. Ivan's with him," Isaac said. "He seems dead, except his mind is apparently up and running. Ivan tried communicating with him mentally, and found that there was definitely something there, just… He can't make heads or tails of anything that goes on in there."

"How long was I out?" Ryu asked.

"Just about an hour. Not long," Isaac said.

Ryu contemplated his options at the moment. A part of him burned to find Asura and demand answers. _He knows more about me than I do. But how can I ask him questions when Ivan can't even communicate with him?_ Another part of him knew that he needed to tell Isaac and the others what Asura had told him, although he wondered if they would believe him. Yet another part was in a great deal of pain for a reason that he couldn't quite determine. But that part could wait.

"Isaac… I have to tell you what he told me," Ryu said, deciding on a course of action. "About Eluda, the world beyond Gaia Falls."

"The _what_…?" Isaac gave Ryu a confused look. "A world beyond Gaia Falls?"

"It was what Ivan and I were trying to tell you earlier… perhaps he can explain it better than I can. I'm not sure I'm feeling too well…" Ryu attempted to stand up, and almost immediately stumbled. He was able to collect himself and avoid tripping, but even so, the throbbing pain that pounded away at his mind was visibly taking its toll.

"I think it might be better if you rested first," Mia said. "You don't seem to be in any fit state to be up and about."

"You can barely stand," Isaac pointed out.

"I noticed…" Ryu sat back down on the bed.

"Tomorrow morning we'll be arriving at Gaia Falls. We'll talk about it when we have everyone together for breakfast," Isaac said. "For now… get some sleep. You look like you need it."

They took their leave of Ryu's room. Ryu lay back down on the bed, putting his head to the pillow. As his eyes closed, Ryu had but one question for himself:

_Who the hell am I?_

And with that, he plunged into a dreamless, trancelike sleep.

When Ryu woke up it was still dark outside, but it was near enough to the morning that he didn't return to sleep. He felt much better than he had the previous night; his head was clear now and his migraine had passed. He resolved to go up on the deck for fresh air.

As he left the ship's cabin, he noted that the hole he had made in the deck from yesterday was still there. _No matter. I'll volunteer to fix that for them. _He navigated around it and took strides towards the front of the ship. Standing at the railing, he looked out. His timing couldn't have been better.

The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, which he could now see was a waterfall of incredible immensity. The waterfall stretched across the entirety of the horizon, and Ryu knew from what Asura had shown him that it encircled the entire realm of Weyard. _Gaia Falls. The end of the world. _

The breaking dawn was stunningly beautiful. Lances of light broke through the fine mist that rose up from wherever the falls ended. The surface of the water sparkled, reflecting the sun gloriously.

_I don't know who I was before. Maybe I never will_, Ryu thought as he watched the sunrise. _But does it matter? Do I need to have a past to choose a course for myself in the present? _

_There's a part of me that says yes, I do need that… But…_

_I know this much. I still have the same heart as I did before. And as long as that heart's still beating, this soul can – will – go forward._

He looked on at the unending sky ahead, and smiled.

"You're not the only one who lives without a past," said a voice from somewhere behind him. Ryu turned to see that it was Ivan, walking to stand next to him.

"Were you reading my mind?" Ryu asked, with a half-grin on his face.

"Not this time," Ivan said, shaking his head. "Just intuition. I was where you were, once. And in a sense, I still am…"

They spent a short time just basking in the sun's nascent rays.

"But it doesn't matter so much, where we come from," Ryu said.

"Nope. Only the destination and the path we take to it."

"So then we've got nothing to worry about." Ryu smiled broadly.

"Indeed," Ivan said. "Just the clarity of our souls… and the friends who join us along the way."

***

Ryu and the ship's seven adepts sat around the table of the mess hall, passing around portions of the breads, cheeses, and fruit that constituted the morning breakfast. The atmosphere was generally boisterous and good-natured. When all were finished eating, Isaac stood up to address the group.

"We've arrived at Gaia Falls. I tried coming up with something profound to say, but I was always better at truth, so here's this," Isaac said. "I know that the notion of going back to live ordinary lives is like a condemnation for us. I can see it on all your faces. But maybe, just maybe, we'll find what we're looking for on the other side of the falls."

"You will," Leon said, standing up. "As you know, the last time we were in Lemuria, Hydros gave us this mission – to see what lay beyond the falls."

Leon looked at Felix.

"Felix, I told you, our shining moment isn't over. Hydros gave me a set of instructions to open as we approached the falls, so he would not have to pass this knowledge on to the Senate."

Leon produced a letter from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"It contains instructions to seek the world beyond the falls, Eluda," he said. "What's more, the letter has something else in it. I must regrettably inform you all that the seal on alchemy is not yet broken."


	3. Chapter 3: The Drifting Lands

**Chapter Three: The Drifting Lands**

Silence fell over the room. The message that Leon had repeated to them struck them like the blow of a hammer. The moment passed, and pandemonium broke loose.

"That's impossible!" Jenna yelled. "That means that we went through everything for nothing! I won't accept it! No! It can't be!"

"Yeah, that's just ridiculous! We lit the lighthouses! We saw the Golden Sun rising, it destroyed Vale!" Garet shouted.

"This has to be the doing of the Wise One! He broke the lighthouses somehow!" Felix declared. "We should hunt him down and force him to undo it!"

"We'll make him pay for everything he did to us!" Garet roared, pounding a clenched fist on to the table. "We'll get revenge for what he did to your parents, Isaac, and to yours, Jenna."

"We'll go back to Prox and let them in on this. I'll bet anything they'll have something to say as well," Jenna added.

"We'll prepare an army," Felix said. "The Wise One has to be insane if he thinks he can suppress the lifeblood of the world forever!"

"No," Isaac said loudly enough to quiet the room again. "We will not do that."

"Then what the hell do you propose we do, Isaac?" Felix said, glaring at him.

"Perhaps listen to Hydros' counsel first, before we act rashly," Leon interrupted. "He believes that although we broke through one layer of the seal, there's another still, and that its source isn't on Weyard. So… We should pursue the exploration of Eluda as our primary objective. I trust Hydros. If he thinks that we'll find the answers there, then we will."

"I'm with Leon on this one," Isaac said, his voice stern. "We've got to go about this rationally. If the seal on alchemy isn't broken, then we've got to find out why before we run around picking fights and raising armies."

"It would also seem as though the events of the past day have been drawing us more and more closely to Eluda…" Ivan said. His expression conveyed intrigue. "First we found Ryu. I suspect you all want to know where he comes from, and what his history is: I can tell you only that he has none. He has no memories except for one, and it's of the very place we're discussing – Eluda. He saw it with his mind's eye."

Ivan let that sink in before he continued. "Then last night, the Timeless appeared to kill Ryu, and a strange light destroyed the Timeless. I don't know exactly what happened just then, but one thing is for sure. All of these events are connected somehow. Our fate, the fate of Ryu, and perhaps the fate of Weyard, are all tied to Eluda."

"And how are we supposed to trust Ryu, anyway?" Felix said. "What if he's just another Alex?"

"Don't say that…" Mia said quietly. "Alex was a monster… I can't accept that there could be more than one Alex in the world."

"Ryu's soul is the color of clarity," Ivan said. "He is no threat to us."

"And how can I take your word for it?" Felix demanded.

"Felix, we all fought for our lives together!" Isaac shouted. "Do you really mean to tell me you don't trust Ivan after all this time?"

"I have faith in human error," Felix said. "What if Ryu was able to deceive him?"

"You know," Ryu said. "I find it fascinating that you're talking about me like I'm not even here."

"To your face or behind your back, it's the same to me," Felix said. "I'm going to say this one way or another because there are people that I'll protect to my dying breath, and for all I know you'll kill them when you get the chance. You show up out of nowhere with no history, and then something horrible comes rip-roaring out of another dimension to kill you – I don't even know if you're _human _for sure. Who are you, Ryu Gaia?"

"I am not your enemy. But all I know about myself is that I'll go forward no matter what. So I'll give you this: I don't _have_ to be here. If you really want me out of here that badly, fine, drop me off wherever you'd like," Ryu said. "One way or another, I'm going to Eluda, because there's a mission that I've been tasked with, and I intend to carry it out. I'll either go there with you, or on my own. Your choice."

"You can come with us, Ryu," Isaac said, ignoring the scowl that Felix was giving him. "Now, what's this about a mission?"

"It's what I was trying to tell you last night," Ryu said. "When the column of light stood in front of me, it spoke to me. It told me that in the world of Eluda we would find six towers, the Fountains, and that we must activate them."

"Perhaps they're like the lighthouses," Leon said. "If they're maintaining a second seal on alchemy, by igniting them, we'll break the seal once and for all. That could well be what Hydros intended."

"If only I could communicate with the man that fell out of the light…" Ivan said. "His mind is far too complex for me to interpret."

"He said that he would eventually be able to use his physical body, but that it would take a while," Ryu said. "For now we just have to wait until he can talk to us on a level we can understand."

"And in the meanwhile we'll seek out the first of the Fountains," Isaac said. "Ryu, from the memories that you have in your mind of Eluda, can you locate the Fountains?"

"Yes," Ryu said, nodding. "I can."

"Then Felix, we'll test Ryu's honesty by having him lead the way," Isaac said, giving Felix a determined look. "Ryu, let Ivan look into that memory and show him the path. Ivan, once you've done that, head below deck to set the course."

"Isaac, are you totally sure of this?" Garet asked.

"Yeah, I am," Isaac said.

"Then I'll follow you off the end of the world," Garet said.

"I'll trust that certainty as well," Mia said. "I have faith in you, Isaac."

"I won't let our suffering have been in vain," Jenna said. "Count me in."

"For Weyard and for Hydros," Leon said. "I will go."

"I'll take that chance on Ryu," Ivan said. "Onwards, to Eluda!"

All eyes turned to Felix.

_To protect the ones I love…_ Felix thought, casting his eyes downwards, his hands curling into tight fists at his sides. "I'll go."

***

_It's incredible,_ Ryu thought, looking over the edge of the boat. An unending fog stretched out as far as he could see, a sheet of gray and blue hues.

The _Lighthouse_ flew straight over the fog, off of Weyard, and then began to descend. Wind and water whipped away at the faces of the assembled group on the bridge. They stood transfixed by anticipation and curiosity.

Then through the haze a wall of color met their eyes. Fields of green, deep-dyed oceans of blue, white snow-capped mountains, golden deserts, all faded at once into distinction. A collective gasp and cheer resounded across the adepts; they embraced one another in awe.

Ryu ran to the back of the deck, looking back to watch the churning waters of Gaia Falls as they met with the waters below. The raging rapids foamed furiously, their cacophonous crashing forming the swan song of Weyard. Still, that swan song heralded a new world, and the dawn of a new destiny. Where Weyard ended, Eluda began.

***

"So where is it exactly?" Isaac said, standing at one end of the table. Ryu stood opposite him, and Ivan close by. A pencil was gripped in Ivan's hand; his brow was furrowed in concentration as he sketched out a map of Eluda, the way he had seen it in Ryu's mind.

Ryu pointed to a location that Ivan was presently detailing.

"From what Asura showed me, I could find six specific towers located across the world. Four of them are the typical elements, but the final two are twin towers of Sol and Luna. The closest one to us is the Air's Fountain, and it's generally in this region. It's located on a floating city hovering far above the ground," Ryu said.

"A floating city?" Isaac seemed mildly surprised, but his voice wasn't skeptical. _Not after all he's seen, at any rate,_ Ryu noted.

"Yeah. I don't know if it's inhabited or not - Asura showed me the world, but not it's inhabitants."

"I wonder who we'll find, if it is inhabited," Ivan murmured.

"Ivan, when will we get there?" Isaac asked.

"At present speed, we'll be there in a little under two days," Ivan said. "And we're barely covering a fraction of the width of this world. It's really that much bigger than Weyard…"

"We could go half-way around Weyard in a day," Isaac said. "I can't believe there was so much more that we never knew about! For us to have been in the dark like that…"

"Hydros knew," Leon said, appearing at the door frame. "So at some point in the past few centuries, Eluda and Weyard must have interacted."

"Is there anything else you know, but aren't telling us?" Isaac said.

"Nothing," Leon said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry I didn't open those instructions sooner, though. It would have been good to know, so we could have prepared for this."

"Doesn't matter at this point," Isaac said. "So don't worry about it. We're going. And one way or another - we'll find out the secrets of our world."

* * *

"Are you surprised to see me? You really shouldn't be, I can't be killed. Don't you understand? The Wise One himself tried and was unsuccessful. Put down your swords, they won't help you now. If you don't put them down I will make you put them down.

"There is just one thing I require of you. We will arrive at that shortly, because first, I want to impress upon you how important it is that you relinquish your weapons. I was hoping you would recognize by now that they cannot possibly protect you from me. Extinguish that fire in your belly. It is unbecoming of you."

Two soldiers collapsed in agony as their insides caught fire. Their swords clattered ineffectually to the ground.

"Yes. Now then. As I was saying. Are you all quite ready to put your weapons down, or do I have to further demonstrate what I am capable of?"

The few remaining soldiers made a dash, desperate to defend the court to their last breath. They keeled over before they had scarcely taken their first steps forward. Blood formed graceful pools around the bodies of the fallen men, pouring from their eyes, mouths, noses, and ears.

"Hydros, all of your soldiers are now dead. You will not suffer that fate - immediately at any rate - because you know something I want to know. I would attempt to read your mind, but unfortunately, I'm not yet proficient enough in the arts of Jupiter psynergy that it is convenient for me to do so. Given time, surely, but that is another matter. Right now, you must tell me where you sent Isaac."

Hydros stared on, defiantly silent.

Alex sighed and brushed a wayward strand of blue hair away from his eyes. He smiled, and his demeanor was wholly charming. He walked forward, so that he stood an arm's length from the stoic king.

"Hydros... will you tell me?"

* * *

Isaac, at this point in his life, had seen many strange things, and even a few impossible ones. Still, something in him revolted at the sight of the eight angels that surrounded his ship. He called them angels in his mind, because he did not know what else they might be, or what else he could call them.

"Ryu," Isaac said, not taking his eyes off of the angels. "Ryu, do you know what those are?"

"No," Ryu said in response, as perplexed as Isaac. "I'm afraid I don't."

Garet walked out of the ship's cabin to stand on the deck by Isaac and Ryu.

"Crap," he muttered as he saw them. "Anyone...?"

"We don't know what they are," Isaac said.

Felix joined them as well. He scowled when he saw the angels.

"Ryu, what did you do?" Felix asked.

"They're not Timeless, so they're not my fault," Ryu said, somewhat indignantly.

"I'm getting really tired of cosmic horrors appearing around this ship," Isaac said to no one in particular. "Can that stop happening? Please?"

They drew their swords and took on fighting stances. Ryu mentally noted that the replacement blade Isaac had provided him with felt wrong, but that would be dealt with later.

One of the eight angels landed on the deck of the _Lighthouse_, and it dwarfed the men it stood before. It had the form of an elegant suit of armor, and its chrome metal skin was streaked with black and red and gold. Its face was featureless except for the two bold lines of red that formed a 'V' across it. In one hand it held a long staff with a short blade at the end, and it had no other hand, only a gaping hole where its arm ended. A set of metallic wings emerged from its back.

The chest plate of the angel began to slide upwards revealing an internal cavity. A man sprung from it; he wore a black uniform with golden accents and a dark cape that fluttered behind him as he fell gracefully to the deck. He landed in a crouch, then stood and strode forward purposefully.

He had wild brown hair and brown eyes. His face was young and clean-shaven, and brimming with fiery severity. But that was not what made Isaac shudder when their eyes connected.

"Who are you?" Isaac asked.

The man did not respond, nor did he stop walking forward. Instead he held forth his open hand and summoned a wave of pure force, knocking Isaac and Felix to the ground. Before Ryu or Garet could properly react, another wave of force struck them, and they too fell backwards.

Then another wave, and another, until in their eyes, the world faded away to nothing.

***

Felix's eyes opened, and the world around him started to come into focus. He was on his back, and the ceiling above him was a blur of green and gold, decorated in some sort of ornate pattern. He sat up, quickly rubbed his eyes, stretched, and looked around. He was tense – although his mind was still foggy, he was aware that something terrible had just happened, and it would likely fall to him to put things back in proper order.

He found himself alone in a room which was small but not cramped, and provided him with a bed and nothing else. His weapons were gone. He walked to the door and opened it, to look down into a hallway lined with doors on both sides. The floor was covered with some kind of plush rug, and the whole place was lit by bright lights overhead. Not firelight – no, it was something else, although he wasn't sure what.

One end of the hall was walled off, and the other led into a circular common area, with a ring of cushioned seats around the center. Felix wandered into it, confused and curious. There were large double-doors at the front end. He tried those, but they were locked.

So he wandered, from room to room in the hallway, checking them. Some rooms were empty, but in others, he was able to find the rest of the _Lighthouse_ crew. Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, Jenna, Leon, and Ryu, all asleep or just waking up. Asura, strangely, wasn't present.

They walked out to the common room and took seats, all equally perplexed.

"We're not dead," Isaac said. "Which is a good thing. I'm pretty sure that works in our favor."

They smiled at that.

"The doors over there are locked," Felix told them, pointing. "Which I guess indicates that we've been taken as prisoners or something to that effect."

"For a prison, this place isn't too shabby," Garet offered.

"It looks more like guest quarters than anything," Isaac said. "What's unusual is that they left us all here, but not Asura..."

"They probably recognized that there was something different about him. Or maybe they assumed he was in need of medical attention, and took him to it," Ryu said.

"So, what do we do now?" Ivan asked.

"We wait it out and see what happens, I think," Isaac said, standing up. He started pacing. "Because as much as I'd like to get out of here and get back to the ship, we don't know where that is, or where we are, or why we're here. It doesn't seem like our captors are deliberately trying to kill us – if they were, we'd be dead already. That means there's some reason or another for them keeping us around. And if we're lucky, it'll all just have been some kind of misunderstanding."

"Nevertheless, they _did_ still take our weapons and lock us up," Felix said, also rising to stand. "We should prepare some kind of back-up plan for escape."

"Well, we don't have anything to go off of right now," Isaac said. "And they're probably going to keep armed sentries outside those doors. Even if we break through the doors, we'd have those to deal with... So we wouldn't really be accomplishing much."

"I'm with Isaac on this. I think we should wait," Ryu said.

"For all we know, you caused this," Felix said sharply.

"If I did, would they put me in here with you?" Ryu said.

"Maybe they're after you, and we're all wrapped up in whatever trouble you're in, because we were with you. The only thing you can remember is this world – what proof do you have that you're not a wanted man here? Between this and the Timeless, you keep giving me reasons to doubt you," Felix said, giving Ryu a cold look.

Ryu looked around at the others. They seemed reluctant to look him directly in the eye, as though what Felix had said was making sense to them. Isaac and Ivan appeared to reject it, but only them.

"This isn't the time to start laying blame, Felix," Isaac said.

"You were the one who said we should follow Ryu to test his honesty," Felix said. "I'd say he failed that test! I think he's hiding something from us!"

"Stop it, Felix! This isn't the time," Isaac said.

Then the double doors at the head of the room opened, and all eyes turned towards them. A small procession of black-uniformed soldiers entered the room, headed by the same man who had attacked them on the bridge of the _Lighthouse_. The soldiers mostly formed lines along the interior wall, but a few stood in position around their leader. The adepts stood, in recognition of their entry.

"Good morning," said the man who had, last they recalled, knocked them senseless with strange waves of force. His features were every bit as intensely fierce as Isaac remembered them, and although he seemed self-assured, he didn't appear overbearing. "My name is Walsh Alvarun, and I'm the captain of the palace guard."

"Tell us where we are and why we're being held here," Felix said, his voice tinged with cold steel.

"You're presently in the guest wing of the Emperor's palace, and you're being held here as a consequence of a regrettable chain of communication failures," Walsh said. "I've come here to apologize for the manner in which you've been treated, and for my own actions in detaining you. We didn't realize that you were emissaries of Weyard. Had we known that, we would have extended a diplomatic corps, but instead we've utterly botched our first contact. Would you please, on behalf of Weyard, pardon the Holy Anemos Empire for its inadvertent transgressions?"

Isaac and Felix exchanged a shocked glance.

"Did you say Anemos?" Isaac said, somewhat stunned.

Walsh nodded.

Jenna's eyes went wide. "Could Sheba...?"

"Sheba..." Felix said under his breath, momentarily distracted at the thought. "That's possible..."

"You all seem a bit startled," said Walsh. "But this was where you intended to go, right? Your course trajectory indicated you were moving swiftly towards us..."

"We're explorers, not emissaries," Isaac said. "We had no idea that the Anemos would be _here,_ of all places... although it makes perfect sense. We're currently in a floating city, right? High above the ground?"

"Yes," Walsh said. "That is so."

"This was once a part of Atteka then, wasn't it?" Isaac said, smiling.

"It was," said Walsh.

"Looks like we've already discovered one of those secrets then – haven't we, Isaac?" Leon said.

"But there are still many questions," Ivan said. "Why did the Anemos break off from Atteka?"

"I'm sorry, you'll have to consult one of our historians for that," Walsh said, growing somewhat impatient. "Would you please pardon us for our transgressions?"

"Will you release us afterwards?" Felix asked.

"Your ship is waiting in a hangar for you, unless you'd like to stay a while and see the city," said Walsh. "In which case, the Emperor's personal guard would serve as your guides and provide you with a brief tour of it all."

"Yeah, but will you release us afterwards?" Felix pressed.

"Of course," Walsh said, returning Felix's stare. "You're guests, not prisoners. You're free to leave at any time."

"Then we'll be going," said Felix, taking strides toward the doors. "Show us where our ship and weapons have been stored."

He turned and noticed that although Jenna had taken a tentative, hesitant step forward, no one else had even made motions to follow him.

"Felix, I don't think we can leave just yet," Isaac said. He then turned to Walsh. "We'll accept your apology and fully pardon you but only if you agree to a few conditions. To start with, tell us what you did with the other man that was with us. He was below deck when you intercepted our ship."

"He was detained after the mind read-"

"You read our minds?" Garet said, somewhat upset. "That's going way too far!"

"There are valid reasons for the measures we've taken, and in light of your ignorance, it's none of your business to question them," said Walsh. "Your companion was detained and will remain detained until his intentions can be understood fully. In the meantime you are free to do as you will."

"You might have noticed he's barely even alive," Ryu said. "He's hardly a threat to you."

"I have given the matter to you as it stands. You may leave. Your companion cannot, at present," Walsh said. "The guards posted outside this room will take you to your ship if you desire."

Walsh turned to leave, but Leon jumped up.

"Wait," said Leon. "I'm a representative of the nation of Lemuria, and its ruler King Hydros. On those grounds, I would like to request permission to meet with the Emperor of the Anemos, to establish diplomatic exchange."

Walsh regarded Leon warily.

"I'll relay the information and return with an answer," Walsh said, and then he left, his soldiers falling into ranks behind him. Then they were gone, on the other side of closed doors.

"That was a good save, Leon," Isaac said. "Thanks."

Leon bowed his head slightly in deference. "Just doing what I can."

Then there was quiet, and they looked at Felix. He looked distant, conflicted – maybe angry. His grimace was difficult to read. Jenna walked to him.

"Felix... You can't do that," Jenna said. "I know you're just looking out for us all, but we have to work together, don't you understand? And we can't be hostile with these people... They're too strong for us to fight. So we can't afford to be reckless with them. Please tell me you understand..."

Felix closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Jenna smiled faintly, hugged him, and walked back to stand by the rest of the group. Felix looked over them, and some kind of sorrow still clouded his expression. But he shook his head, and walked closer to them.

***

Walsh returned a short time later.

"You've been granted audience with Emperor Demos Guardia. Allow us to escort you to his Court," Walsh said, beckoning them forward.

They followed Walsh through gilded hallways, past stone statues and brilliant chandeliers, up flights of marble stairs, and beyond heavy, guarded doors.

"What a name, Demos," Garet remarked at some point, quietly. Then his face brightened, and he turned to Mia, who was walking next to him. "I guess it's because he's _De-most_ popular guy around..."

Mia playfully punched his arm, and they both laughed a bit, ignoring the strange stares of the soldiers around them.

Then at last, they reached the Court of the Emperor of Anemos. They entered through one of the side doors, and were stunned by the sight that greeted them. Where they expected opulence - precious metals and stones, tapestries and fabrics, jesters and thrones - they found none.

The Court was instead a large, spacious room with a simple marble floor, and a few chairs at the back on a raised platform for the Emperor and half a dozen dignitaries. The Emperor's seat was embellished slightly, but could barely have been envied by the owner of even the most pitiable fiefdom.

No, the true beauty of the Court was in the view that came from its design: it was built so that the room was bathed in light streaming through the ceiling and walls, which formed a gold-lined glass dome around the interior. Through the glass, one had an unobstructed view of the cityscape below and the sky above. Proud, shining metal-and-glass buildings stood against the heavens, reaching a crescendo at a tall, ancient structure that resembled one of Weyard's Lighthouses. To either side of the city was a sea of clouds, so that the city appeared to be an island on it.

As the adepts and Ryu entered the room and saw it, they gasped. Even having seen the great Gaia Falls, even having sailed among the clouds themselves - this sight was still breathtaking.

Then once they were all standing in the room's center, the soldiers escorting them paused and saluted. "Hail Guardia!"

The Emperor himself was a middle-aged man who looked serene and august. His black hair grayed at the sides, and his face was somewhat wrinkled by time. He seemed seized by intrigue as he gazed with curiosity at the mysterious group brought before him. He was dressed in a majestic gown of white and gold.

"Which one of you is the representative from Lemuria?" the Emperor asked. "Please, step forward."

"I am," said Leon, and he walked to stand before the Emperor. "Emperor Demos Guardia of the Holy Anemos Empire, I would like to establish a line of diplomacy between your empire and the land of Lemuria on Weyard."

"But that's not what brought you here," the Emperor said. "You want us to free the comrade that we've detained, right? According to Captain Alvarun, you didn't even mention diplomacy until the issue of your comrade came into question. And there's more to it as well, apparently - you're explorers from Weyard. Does Weyard even know that we're out here, still?"

Leon paused for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Isaac stepped forward.

"No, this world is all new to us," Isaac said. "Weyard has forgotten Eluda."

"How did you find us? Your trajectory was quite specific; you were heading straight for us," the Emperor said.

"Wait a second; didn't you guys read our minds?" Garet said. "You should know that by now!"

"We only scanned for certain relevant information," Walsh said. "We left your hearts undefiled."

"We came here looking for that building," Ryu said, pointing out through the glass window at the highest, oldest tower in the skyline - the Fountain of Air. "We knew about that tower being here. But we knew nothing of this city or your empire."

"Tempest Tower," the Emperor said. "What a peculiar thing to come for. It's a historical curiosity and a site of religious worship. What would you want with it?"

"The man you detained showed him," Felix said, gesturing towards Ryu, "that it was here, and told us to go to it."

This was met with tense gazes from the soldiers and dignitaries. Isaac, Ivan, and Ryu, however, cast glances of frustration at Felix.

"Where did you meet with that man?" Walsh asked.

"Our vessel was attacked as we were leaving Weyard," Isaac said. "The man - Asura - appeared to us through a column of light, warded off the attacker, and then collapsed on our deck. He's been unconscious since he became physical. We don't even know _what _he was before we met him, or how he found us."

"A column of light," the Emperor said, musing on it. "So then, you still haven't quite answered my question. Why are you going to Tempest Tower?"

Isaac, Ivan, Ryu, and Leon exchanged uneasy looks.

"We're going to Tempest Tower because we expect to find some component of the seal on alchemy there," Isaac said. "And we intend to undo it."

The Emperor paused for a moment in consideration.

"Select four from your number, who will be accompanied by Captain Alvarun and a scholar from my Court into Tempest Tower. You will attempt to undo the seal on alchemy under Captain Alvarun's supervision, and those not selected will remain as guests in my palace," the Emperor said. "If you do anything which threatens the security of this city, Captain Alvarun will kill you while soldiers here execute the four that stay behind. If the venture is merely unsuccessful, you may continue on your way without our interference. But if you do succeed, I would like to then negotiate for you to remain in our service as long as you pursue the total undoing of the seal on alchemy. Additionally, we could discuss the matter of Asura further. Do you consent to this arrangement?"

Isaac turned to his group.

"I'm up for it if you are," he said.

A murmur of affirmation went over them as they variously stepped forward and said, "I agree." Felix was silent, but it was only Felix who said nothing.

"Then we'll do it," Isaac said.

"Then return to your guest quarters, make your selections, and notify Captain Alvarun. He will be waiting outside your door until you've made your choice, after which you will be re-armed and then depart," the Emperor said. "Now go."

A cry of "Hail Guardia!" went up among the soldiers, and they led the adepts out.

***

When they returned to their guest quarters, Isaac asked Felix to join him in one of the smaller rooms, and for the rest of the group to wait for a few moments while they spoke behind a closed door. They obliged, and Felix followed Isaac quietly.

"Felix, what the hell?" Isaac asked when the door was closed behind them, and the rest of the group was out of earshot. "We can't – I just don't even... What were you thinking out there? I get it that you're not thrilled with the notion of keeping Ryu or Asura around, but you've got this 'us' and 'them' mentality... You were practically daring those soldiers to drag them away for questioning or torture or something! That's way paranoid, even for you!"

"Ha! Even for me," Felix echoed bitterly. "I was being honest and upfront with these people, Isaac, because let's face it, whether or not you want to accept it, Ryu and Asura have demonstrated that they come with a few goddamn strings attached! You're just being naively idealistic, and you're willing to risk all of our lives to keep them around, even though we have no stake in their business whatsoever!"

"Of course we have a stake in it, Felix; it's a matter of the seal on alchemy!"

Felix shook his head.

"Isaac, I've learned a few lessons over the years. First of all, don't trust anyone whose intentions you don't know. Case studies for your consideration: Alex and the Wise One."

"What about Leon? You trusted him right off the bat!"

"We went with him out of necessity, and he volunteered his ship to us along with passage to Lemuria. Leon fought alongside us, protecting against various enemies and healing us to boot. Has Ryu done anything to help us lately?"

"He stood with us to fight against the Timeless-"

"Which appeared specifically to kill Ryu," Felix said. "Ryu supposedly has no memories of himself, which makes it impossible to figure out why the Timeless wants him dead, exactly, or what Ryu himself wants out of all this. What's more, about the Timeless... we couldn't stop that thing, Isaac. We tried. We fought it. We gave it our all. And it instantly regenerated after all the damage we did to it. Ryu's weapon literally disintegrated on contact with it. Asura stopped it, sure, but how do we know there aren't more of those things? And if there are, will Asura save us next time? What do you intend to do about it? Why should we be in that line of fire when it's not our battle in the first place? Fine, I was too hasty when I tried to pin it to Ryu for getting us all captured, I'll own that. Maybe I'm looking too hard for reasons to keep outsiders away from our little bubble. But with the Timeless – even if you're willing to ignore the fact that we have no idea what Ryu's really after, you can't just let that go. Sorry, you cannot."

Isaac took a deep breath and shook his head.

"We put our lives on the line regularly, Felix; I don't understand why this is any different. We've fought against things that seemed invincible before, and we always won out in the end. We can handle ourselves."

"And another thing. I've got a problem with the way you just volunteered our services to the people who took us captive without trial or explanation, Isaac. Lesson two that I've learned over the years: people who take prisoners of innocents and then try to manipulate them into serving their purposes _are bad people._ Do not trust them. Do not bargain with them. Do not forgive them. And for the love of all things, do not under ANY circumstances do their dirty work!"

"We're not doing their dirty work, Felix! We're trying to undo the seal on alchemy, because the world slowly dies when alchemy is sealed," Isaac said. "We're taking Ryu with us because somehow he's connected to all this. We're cooperating with the Anemos so we can negotiate for the release of Asura. That's just the way things are. And we need to see this through all the way to the end. Are we clear?"

"You know what, Isaac? Fine. Do it your way for this one; let's see how it pans out. But I swear, if any one of us gets hurt because you called it wrong here, I'll take it out on you twice over."

"Felix..." Isaac started to speak, but he faltered. This had not gone well. He still felt that he was in the right, although he had to admit Felix had made some valid points. He just hadn't wanted to win _this_ way. He'd pushed Felix too far, giving too little and taking too much. But he had to stand by what he had just done, put his foot down and draw the line – to do otherwise would make him an ineffective leader. There would be time for apologies later. He could try then to undo whatever strain he had just put on his friendship with Felix. Now, though, was the time to take responsibility for the task at hand.

"All right," Isaac said at length. "It's on my head. Now, who should go?"

***

In the large circular room, the other adepts and Ryu were sitting down and waiting for Felix and Isaac to come back. They had heard the raised voices through the walls. The words were difficult to make out, but the tone was straightforward.

"Look, Ryu," Jenna said, sitting next to him. "I know Felix hasn't been all that welcoming... but I want you to know, he's really... he's just looking out for us, you know? It's kind of rough on him, to know that we're all in danger again."

"I get it that he's looking out for you," Ryu said. The 'you' was pointed. Ryu wasn't a part of the people that Felix looked out for. There was a line drawn and Ryu was well aware of it. "It's just... frustrating. I don't mean you guys any harm, and I'm really sorry that my being around you puts you in danger. I just wish I could prove it to Felix that _I'm_ not a threat to you."

Jenna nodded, and turned away for a moment, searching for the words with which to explain Felix to Ryu.

"Felix is like a rock," she said, turning back. "Solid. Things can rely on him, hold on to him, because he's immovable. That's why he was our leader for so long, when we were on the quest to light the lighthouses. He held us together and he protected us. He was tireless, too. We kept going forward because we had his strength to believe in."

Ryu listened to Jenna and half-smiled.

"You really look up to him, don't you?" he said.

"Of course, he's my big brother," Jenna said, smiling. "He's really a good person, he's just... defensive. He sort of liked you at first, so you know... it was the thing with the Timeless that really freaked him out."

"You don't have to defend him to me... I understand where he's coming from. Not that it helps any, but I do understand," Ryu said.

Then Isaac and Felix emerged at last from the nearby guest room. The group stood as they approached.

"I'll be leading the group that's going to the fountain and Felix is going to be sticking it out here with the rest of you," Isaac said. "So, the group that I'm taking with me... Mia, we'll almost certainly need a healer with us, if the fountains are anything like the lighthouses. And even if they aren't, there's no sense in taking chances. Ivan, I want you to come because you have an affinity for the fountain's element, which could give you an edge in combat. Ryu... This is your show, in some ways. After all, Asura did tell _you_ to come here - if you're up for it, of course."

Ryu nodded.

"I'll go," Ryu said.

"Then let's go tell Captain Alvarun," Isaac said.

After a round of farewells and well-wishes, Isaac, Ivan, Mia, and Ryu walked out through the double-doors at the head of the room. Soldiers led them to a storeroom where they recovered their weapons and bags, and met up with Walsh. From there they were navigated through a veritable maze of elaborate corridors and passed through a half-dozen security checkpoints, until at last they reached one of the palace gates.

They stepped out of the palace and into a large open courtyard. Turning around, they were able to see the palace itself - a glittering blue crystal tower, girded by the circular shelf of the courtyard, which was raised up high enough to look out onto the city but not the clouds.

Then they faced the skyline ahead of them and looked to the building that seemed to rise up above it all. Its looming shape seemed at once a specter of mankind's lost age and an omen of the perilous journey they stood poised to face. With the sun behind it, it cast a long shadow over them.

It was their intended destination: Air's Fountain, the Tempest Tower.


End file.
